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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · hand · squash · pitcher · staff · court · firm · lie

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. firm — steady
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — help
  14. squash — the sport
  15. lie — to recline
  16. firm — a company
  17. hand — in cards
  18. court — for sport
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. staff — a stick
  23. squash — to crush
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com